Lesson cut short

I have a riding instructor who is expensive too cuz she’s great
She specifically has half an hour pricing and hour pricing because of things like this
I would not be happy paying for an hour and getting 30 minutes
 
I get the whole end on a good note plan and have followed it myself, and I can see your point about only getting half of what you'd paid for. Still, I'd also consider that if the instructor had blocked the hour out in their diary, there would be no chance of them putting another lesson into that 30 minutes at that short notice to recoup money. So, I'd probably swallow it as a one-off as long as I liked the instructor and valued the lessons. But if we hit finish on a good note again, I'd check the time and perhaps ask to continue after a rest/walk break.
 
SEL said:
I'm a bit of a wimp with those kind of things but I'd probably say given we only did 30 mins last time shall we book a shorter lesson next time and see what she says
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This is the approach I would take!

In all honesty if you are hacking there and back, 30 mins is probably enough. Could save you some ££

That’s what my 6yo is currently doing weekly, hacking to a 30 min lesson - means she can have them weekly rather than fortnightly, budget wise!
 
ihatework said:
This is the approach I would take!

In all honesty if you are hacking there and back, 30 mins is probably enough. Could save you some ££

That’s what my 6yo is currently doing weekly, hacking to a 30 min lesson - means she can have them weekly rather than fortnightly, budget wise!
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I can see 30m is probably perfect for the horse and rider however the instructor may question if it is worth her time to travel to you and back again for only £30 and the extra time she has to spend travelling.
 
ihatework said:
This is the approach I would take!

In all honesty if you are hacking there and back, 30 mins is probably enough. Could save you some ££

That’s what my 6yo is currently doing weekly, hacking to a 30 min lesson - means she can have them weekly rather than fortnightly, budget wise!
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Back in the days when arenas had either Passada or Dormit surfaces (!), we used to hire an arena in the next village. We hacked 45 mins to get there, had a full hour's lesson and then went off for a long hack around the forestry commission land before heading home. In hindsight the horses were so fit - and of course properly warmed up for the lesson. 😊
 
Sorry, I think that it is unaceptable to finish early at all when you have a paying client.

If you think the horse has worked hard enough, then work the rider, in walk on a loose rein, for the rest of the allocated time!

If I went for an hours piano lesson and it was ended 30 mins early because I'd done well I would not be pleased!
 
Northern Hare said:
Back in the days when arenas had either Passada or Dormit surfaces (!), we used to hire an arena in the next village. We hacked 45 mins to get there, had a full hour's lesson and then went off for a long hack around the forestry commission land before heading home. In hindsight the horses were so fit - and of course properly warmed up for the lesson. 😊
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I think you need a certain type of horse to do that, as well as a fit horse.

My current big warmblood, just doesnt have that duracell bunny factor, that some past horses have had.

You need to the right horse that thrives on lots of work.
 
Alibear said:
I get the whole end on a good note plan and have followed it myself, and I can see your point about only getting half of what you'd paid for. Still, I'd also consider that if the instructor had blocked the hour out in their diary, there would be no chance of them putting another lesson into that 30 minutes at that short notice to recoup money. So, I'd probably swallow it as a one-off as long as I liked the instructor and valued the lessons. But if we hit finish on a good note again, I'd check the time and perhaps ask to continue after a rest/walk break.
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It was the instructors suggestion/decision to stop though. If OP had been the one to say 'I want to finish now' after 30mins, I'd 100% agree that OP should still pay the full amount. But it was the instructor in this case who finished the lesson halfway through and then buggered off, so why should OP have to cover the instructors 'lost time' when they were willing, able and expecting a 60min lesson.
Imagine if the instructor did that for all their clients throughout the day, they'd be getting paid double for half the work!

And I am totally one for cutting things short and finishing on a good note, but half the entire lesson and not even a debrief/homework etc? I'd be (politely!) suggesting either half price on my next lesson, or refund the 30 minutes, and if the instructor wasn't willing to budge or provide an honest, good explanation, I'd be finding a new one.

Think of it this way, you wouldn't be happy if you bought a cake, and halfway through eating it the vendor said 'You look like you're really enjoying that!' before taking the other half away. Maybe if you've got a small bit left and you're obviously full and satisfied and one wafer thin mint away from exploding, but not halfway through!
 
canteron said:
Next time say

‘I hope everything is ok as I know you had to rush off last week and I was worried something was wrong’

So you are compassionate but make the point you noticed!
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I was actually going to play devil's advocate and suggest she may have felt unwell or had something going on at home she wanted to get back to. Your suggestion is clever!
 
An hour of schooling is really long, as long as your teacher would still teach you I'd go for half hour lessons going forward as suggested. If queried you could just say last time we only did 30 minutes and that seemed to work well. But agree on charge so she doesn't expect £60 still.

Sounds like she had somewhere to be. I much prefer people to be upfront and don't like sneakiness so that would really annoy me.
 
mariew said:
An hour of schooling is really long, as long as your teacher would still teach you I'd go for half hour lessons going forward as suggested. If queried you could just say last time we only did 30 minutes and that seemed to work well. But agree on charge so she doesn't expect £60 still.

Sounds like she had somewhere to be. I much prefer people to be upfront and don't like sneakiness so that would really annoy me.
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I don't think an hour of schooling is too long tbh, depending on the horses age and fitness.
Schooling dosen't have to be intense or fast paced. You can school on a long rein in walk.
 
I'd be super miffed! 60 GBP in Aus dollars is $120! My coach, a Pommie emigre with all her BHS and Mary Wanless quals [which she goes home to refresh] charges $90 an hour for a private.

If its too hot for the Clydie x tank, or some other pressing reason, my coach will say if we need to end early 'just pay me half today'. She doesn't expect the full whack if its been a short lesson. Quite often I want to end early! as she really makes us work, and neither the tank or I are very fit. :-)
 
Lucky Snowball said:
If I felt a client and horse had done well and it was time to stop after 30 mins, we’d discuss the work done then spend remaining time with walk exercises, maybe poles, in hand, rider exercises etc . I always ensure everyone gets a full hour using the school unless they choose to finish early.
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This! Tests include "free walk on a long rein" and if the horse has done enough work there's always scope to practice that.
.
 
Thanks all, I’m certainly not objecting to the lesson because half an hour was not enough or because she needed to be somewhere; it’s the communication/professionalism of that which is important.

Re. 30 minutes for a lesson, I think it’s not quite enough time as I do like being able to chat to the coach after to reflect afterward without feeling constrained on time. Completely depends on the type of work being done whether it’s enough schooling or not, though generally I’m a believer of less is more.

I only see her once every six weeks or so, I’ll see how I’m feeling about it at that point. I do find her lessons very productive, but I certainly wouldn’t be happy for it to happen again.
 
The more i tnk about it the more unprofessional it seems! I think I'd email her and say something like

I really enjoyed our last lesson and was so pleased with nailing that canter at last. But I was surprised and disappointed that you left so abruptly after only 30 minutes when I paid for a full hour. I appreciate the importance of ending on a good note, but feel the time could have usefully been spent on some walk work, on a longer debrief with pointers for what to practice before the next lesson, or as an opportunity for me to really understand how we achieved that good work so I can replicate it. If you were unable to stay for the full hour, then I feel a partial refund or credit note for the next lesson should I have been offered. However you left before I even realised what the time was so there was no opportunity for me to use the time with you differently, even if we did not ride again.

I love our lessons and would like to book another, but would like a discount on the next lesson, please, as I paid £60 for 30 minutes last time, but was only given half the time paid for.

If I felt unable to say that, I would not book again. I'd be too wound up!

As a professional I have sessiosn that are 45-60 mins so if we are done any time at or after 45 we end. But equally I regularly go well over so it's swings and roundabouts. I would ever end at 30 mins though. ANd if I did, unwittingly, not realising the time, and I got an email like the one above, I'd be mortified and apologetic. Certainly not offended.
 
Hackback said:
I was actually going to play devil's advocate and suggest she may have felt unwell or had something going on at home she wanted to get back to. Your suggestion is clever!
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in which case I would have expected a quick explanation or an e mail later saying sorry, couldn't manage 60 mins but I'll add another 30 mins onto next time, charge less, refund part etc.
 
paddy555 said:
in which case I would have expected a quick explanation or an e mail later saying sorry, couldn't manage 60 mins but I'll add another 30 mins onto next time, charge less, refund part etc.
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Exactly. A while back my instructor took a call from a livery whose hacking companion had fallen off hacking and was injured. Of course I said go and it was very close to the yard I was on so she could get there quickly. I can't remember if we did a longer lesson or I paid half next time but it was taken for granted there should be some sort of adjustment.
 
Just as a query have you ever had a lesson over run because the horse was ‘sticky’ that day or you were struggling with something… some times it’s a swings and roundabouts thing but it depends on the relationship, the length of time you have been working with someone and many other factors how I would feel about it tbh
 
Fieldlife said:
I think you need a certain type of horse to do that, as well as a fit horse.

My current big warmblood, just doesnt have that duracell bunny factor, that some past horses have had.

You need to the right horse that thrives on lots of work.
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I agree, but in some ways I think it's a shame that things have changed so much. We were generally riding TB's or IDxTB, but I'd love to have a horse like that again! 😊
 
VictoriaSponge said:
Thanks all, I’m certainly not objecting to the lesson because half an hour was not enough or because she needed to be somewhere; it’s the communication/professionalism of that which is important.

Re. 30 minutes for a lesson, I think it’s not quite enough time as I do like being able to chat to the coach after to reflect afterward without feeling constrained on time. Completely depends on the type of work being done whether it’s enough schooling or not, though generally I’m a believer of less is more.

I only see her once every six weeks or so, I’ll see how I’m feeling about it at that point. I do find her lessons very productive, but I certainly wouldn’t be happy for it to happen again.
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I'm sorry your trainer put you in this position, I think that it's unfair as you paid for an hour's session. It sounds as though she may have had somewhere else she needed to be? Like others have said, there are lots of exercises that she could have worked on with you at a slower tempo, to let your horse have a more relaxing end to the session.

It's a shame that it may affect how you view your trainer in the future, but I think it'd be a good idea give it another go, and be ready if she tries the same again.....but of course I hope she doesn't. 🤞
 
paddy555 said:
I can see 30m is probably perfect for the horse and rider however the instructor may question if it is worth her time to travel to you and back again for only £30 and the extra time she has to spend travelling.
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My instructor charges £40 - for as long as we need.
Usually 1/2 hr, sometimes more. £40 might be best for both of you.
OR
See if you can find someone to share the lesson with - or ask your instructor?
This means you are not working intensely for the whole hour.

This gives you both a break in between bursts of intense work whilst you watch someone else, it gets the horse used to working with other horses, and you can learn from each other.
 
Telling instructors they haven’t really given you enough time sadly backfired for me. I’d booked a two-hour beach ride for my daughter last summer. In the days before I tried to contact her about which beach we were going to. She never responded so I thought perhaps we would meet at her yard. Five minutes before it started I was told it was at a beach 40 minutes away. Naturally we turned up late. My daughter and her friend were greeted in a sour way and no apologies for lack of communication. They got to ride less than ten minutes each. Several other children were there too, sharing two ponies. My daughter had two quick canters on a small bit of the beach and a quick paddle in the sea on a pony that was scared of the water. So I drove 40 minutes each way and my daughter spent less than ten minutes with the pony. No opportunity to lead/help as there were so many people there. This cost me £60 plus transport costs and a lot of stress. When I complained afterwards about the lack of riding for the price I was criticised back and told I should not come back. This was a small riding school that my daughter had attended for two or three years. My daughter was upset and I regretted complaining (I did my best to be polite about it but felt I had to say something). The instructor proceeded to criticise my daughter’s friend’s riding skills (she was new to her) and so she also missed out on a potential new customer as they obviously never returned after being made to feel so unwelcome. I was embarrassed that I had recommended the riding school. I haven’t found a new instructor for my daughter but we share a pony for her that she’s quickly outgrowing. I just hope she’ll be able to have lessons on and enjoy riding the horse we just bought, once her foal is weaned.

Sorry if I hijacked this thread. A bit of a different situation but just a caution about how not to complain. Sadly many take it personally when they are met with any criticism. Oh, did I mention she blocked me on social media too?
 
As for the riding lesson that was cut short, lots of good advice in how to mention it, I would not have let it pass myself as you’re paying for a service you didn’t get.
 
SEL said:
I'm a bit of a wimp with those kind of things but I'd probably say given we only did 30 mins last time shall we book a shorter lesson next time and see what she says
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I think this is a good way to approach it. I’d perhaps contact her sooner rather than later as she might well have forgotten what happened by the time of your next lesson.

Kirstineridesagain said:
Telling instructors they haven’t really given you enough time sadly backfired for me. I’d booked a two-hour beach ride for my daughter last summer. In the days before I tried to contact her about which beach we were going to. She never responded so I thought perhaps we would meet at her yard. Five minutes before it started I was told it was at a beach 40 minutes away. Naturally we turned up late. My daughter and her friend were greeted in a sour way and no apologies for lack of communication. They got to ride less than ten minutes each. Several other children were there too, sharing two ponies. My daughter had two quick canters on a small bit of the beach and a quick paddle in the sea on a pony that was scared of the water. So I drove 40 minutes each way and my daughter spent less than ten minutes with the pony. No opportunity to lead/help as there were so many people there. This cost me £60 plus transport costs and a lot of stress. When I complained afterwards about the lack of riding for the price I was criticised back and told I should not come back. This was a small riding school that my daughter had attended for two or three years. My daughter was upset and I regretted complaining (I did my best to be polite about it but felt I had to say something). The instructor proceeded to criticise my daughter’s friend’s riding skills (she was new to her) and so she also missed out on a potential new customer as they obviously never returned after being made to feel so unwelcome. I was embarrassed that I had recommended the riding school. I haven’t found a new instructor for my daughter but we share a pony for her that she’s quickly outgrowing. I just hope she’ll be able to have lessons on and enjoy riding the horse we just bought, once her foal is weaned.

Sorry if I hijacked this thread. A bit of a different situation but just a caution about how not to complain. Sadly many take it personally when they are met with any criticism. Oh, did I mention she blocked me on social media too?
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I’ve had awful lessons eg one noteworthy one where the (BHSI) instructor spent the last 20 minutes of my lesson chatting to his next clients who had turned up early and ignoring me. At end of the lesson he told me to get rid of the horse and go back to RS. I was so angry I could barely speak - I sacked him. (Having previously taught me for a couple of years doing BE90s comfortably on a previous horse!). Sorry not relevant to the OP , just a rant!
I think if complaining is likely to backfire you are best off ditching them.
 
Fieldlife said:
I think you need a certain type of horse to do that, as well as a fit horse.

My current big warmblood, just doesnt have that duracell bunny factor, that some past horses have had.

You need to the right horse that thrives on lots of work.
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I used to have 45mins lessons on my daughters NF pony. After half an hour both she and I were knackered, but the the instructor who was a FBHS was always had a chat, made some suggestions, once sorted out the saddle flocking you never felt the time was wasted. TBH I didn't want her fit at the stage of my daughters riding or too off the leg.
At PC most of the rides had TB sorts, and needed work off time, NF just wanted to do the work and go home, so my daughter would just be stood about while they whizzed around.
 
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